The Avengers Ft Aimee Smith
by madisontaylor22
Summary: Aimee Smith has something that The Avengers want. The Avengers has something Aimee Smith has been dying to have: a family. When two men in suits show up at her door, Aimee has to decide what she really needs. And that might just come in the form of a star-clad super soldier. Steve x OC. Rated T for now :)
1. Of Men in Black Conventions and Dogs

"God damn it Captain! Stop moving! I'm serious!"

The woman struggled to hold the dog down, her arms wrapped around the hound's body, as another woman struggled to pull the dog's foot up. The dog howled against as the woman pressed the clipper up against his nail.

 _*snap!*_

The tip of the nail came off easily and both women simultaneously let go of the dog.

"Jeez. You would've thought we were trying to kill this thing," the older woman groaned, wiping a bead of sweat of her brow. She set the pair of clippers down and picked up a spray bottle, lightly squirting the dog with its contented before wrapping a lead around its neck.

"Yeah well, this guy was just terrified of getting his nails clipped," the younger woman said, scratching the hound on the head before the woman lifted him up off the table.

"With a name like Captain America, I expect more," the older woman scolded the dog, who now happily wagged his tail as he was led to his kennel.

"If I had a dollar for every dog that came in here named Captain America, I'd be a millionaire," the young girl scoffed, pulling back her long hair and tying it into a loose ponytail.

"If you had a million dollars Aimee you'd still be working at the dump," the older woman replied, closing the door on the kennel. "Why'd his owners bring him in anyway?'

Aimee sighed and walked over to the front of his kennel. "Grew too big. Scared he would hurt the kids with his playing." She smelled the deep scent of fresh berries that he was sprayed with. She reached her hand in and the dog licked it eagerly, his butt moving back and forth with excitement. "Luckily, he's still young and sort of well behaved, so I'm hoping he'll get adopted quick."

"Also I resent that about the million dollars. If I had a million dollars I'd _buy_ this dump and restore to the best damn animal shelter this world has ever seen," she added, throwing a fake cross look at her coworker.

"Yeah, I think you'd need Tony Stark kinda money to be able to do that," she chuckled, wiping her hands on her scrubs. "Okay, well Captain Number Two was our last one. Let's hope none of these assholes shits on themselves and ruins all our hard grooming work before the adoption event tomorrow."

"Well, Jennifer, I have the utmost of faith in these little beasts," Aimee declared, stilling letting Captain number two lick her fingers through the kennel door. "Tomorrow is your day, Kid. I believe in you." She pat the dogs nose with her finger and then stood up.

"But just in case they do have any accidents, I told night crew to let me know which ones and I'll come in early to re-bathe," Aimee said, glancing at the small puppy in the corner kennel.

Aimee stood up and walked over to the grooming table, grabbing her tools and shoving them in her duffel bag. "I'm gonna head out though. Big plans tonight," she said, smiling.

"What, ordering pizza and watching the new Real Housewives by yourself?" Jennifer replied.

"You know me so well," Aimee smiled at her friend and then held the front door open for her friend as she exited the building as well. "I'll lock up, thanks for helping out today."

"You too. Try not to get too rowdy tonight. I know how you get with pizza, cheap wine, and rich housewives."

"Ha-ha," Aimee replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "It's the best night of the week for me."

"I don't doubt that. You're a kid, Aimee, get out there!" Jennifer said, lighting up a cigarette and getting into her car.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see," she replied, using the key to lock the door. She heard Jennifer's car speed off and she sighed. Another lonely night until tomorrow.

That is until she heard a gruff voice behind her.

"Aimee Smith?"

Aimee rolled her eyes, still fiddling with the rusty lock on the door. "Uh yeah, sorry we're closing so if you want to drop your dog off, you'll have to come back at 9 AM tomorrow."

"We're not here to drop off a dog."

"Oh, are you are looking to adopt?" Aimee stood, feeling slightly more perky and finally managed to secure the lock. "Well it's against protocol but I might be able to let you sneak in and check them out. We just got one in his name is Cap-"

"We're not here to adopt either."

Aimee finally turned around and was taken aback. "Are you guys looking for the Men in Black convention? Because I'm pretty sure that's next weekend."

The agents look momentarily confused and larger one shook his head, but it was shorter one who spoke next.

"We're government agents. And we're here to talk to you, Aimee."

"Me? Why?" She paused for a moment and then furrowed her brow. "Oh shit. Are you here because of that one time in Vegas because I swear to God that I-"

"What?" The agent shakes his head. "I'm going to stop you right there. We need you to come with us." The man gets even more serious, if possible and motions to the very large and black SUV behind him.

"Are you sure you have the right person?" Aimee glances around to see if there are any bystanders she could signal to. But the shelter was tucked in the woods and hardly anyone came by unless to adopt or surrender their dog or cat.

"You are Aimee Smith, correct?"

"Yes, but I-"

"And this _is_ you, correct?"

He holds up a tablet and on the screen he plays a video. Aimee's blood runs cold as she watches the surveillance footage."

"I mean, that could be anyone..." She shrugs and watches herself. "The person is wearing sunglasses and a hat! You can't even see their face."

The agent merely nods and swipes his finger to show a different angle. And a moment where the woman takes off her glasses and hat and the camera moves in to her face. _Aimee's_ face. She gulps.

"I uh-," she starts, before darting to her right. She runs towards the corner of the building and when the rounds it she bumps into more very large and very solid agents in suits, this time, equipped with guns. She pats the one on the chest and nods. "Good solid work there. You caught me."

Under their stare the girl puts her hands up and sighs. "You guys are gonna make me miss Real Housewives tonight, aren't you?"

...

It's a silent car ride in a back of one of the black SUVs with the darkest tinted windows Aimee had ever seen. The two agents who originally spoke to her accompanied her in the back. She felt claustrophobic in between the two men, but she didn't let it show. She instead tapped her fingers on her jeans and clicked her tongue impatiently.

"Sorry if I smell," she said, leaning in to the larger agent and smiling. "Some of those dogs come in to us so dirty, it's like scraping shit off of large elephants. I mean we sometimes _really_ have the grind that stuff-"

"How about no talking until we get where were going," the smaller agent muttered, clearly uncomfortable from the girl's description of dog feces.

Aimee continued to click her thumbs and tap her fingers. _They didn't say anything against doing that_. She saw the smaller man clench his fist and stare out the window. Aimee smiled and pursed her lips to start whistling when the van came to a sudden stop.

"We're here," the driver announced, his voice low and serious.

"Are you guys going to tell me where "here" is anytime soon?" Aimee said as she followed the agents out of the car.

"Just follow us."

Aimee sighed. "Not like I have much of a choice, huh?"

The agents ignored her remark and began walking in complete unison towards what Aimee thought looked like a small airport. She stopped walking and frowned. "Okay guys, this is funny. Did Jennifer put you up to this? I didn't think she was that clever, but I know she always says I need friends but taking me on a trip and basically like kidnapping me-"

"We're flying somewhere close. You won't be gone long. This is Government orders."

"Which Government?" Aimee demanded, crossing her arms across her chest.

The man eyed her curiously. "The United States Government."

"And what does the United States Government want with me?"

"Well, not really a Government agency," a voice spoke from behind. "More like a group of individuals wanting to help the world."

Aimee knew that voice. Everyone knew that voice. Eagerly, Aimee turned around to look at the face of the man, the myth, the legend. Tony Friggin' Stark.

"Oh my God," Aimee whispered, clutching a hand to her heart. "You're _the_ Tony Stark."

"Well, that is what my license says," he bantered, before walking up to her and holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Aimee."

"Oh my God you know my name. How? Am I dreaming?" She said before taking his hand and shaking it roughly. "It's an honor, really."

"Thanks," he replied, looking at her hand quizzically before letting go. "Now, if you'll come with me." He put his arm around her shoulder and continued to lead her to where the agents were heading with her before he interrupted. "I know you're wondering why you're here. And all that will be answered, but for now, how about a trip to New York City in my private jet?" He quizzed her shoulder and she shrugged.

"I guess that sounds a little better then my other plans tonight."

He led her through the airport and then out onto the runway where a gorgeous private jet sat, gleaming and shiny in all it's glory. Stark looked up at it like it was his child and the answers to all his prayers and then motioned for Aimee to climb up the stairs and onto the jet. "Ladies first."

Aimee walked up the steps, suddenly aware that she was entering a million dollar plane in beat up sneakers and furry and poop stained clothes. She bit her lip and then entered the plane. It was even more gorgeous on the inside. Gold leather plush seats were scattered around the body of the jet and a wrap around couch in the back. There was a small bar and a flat screen TV. Aimee had never seen anything so expensive. She tried not to touch anything as she walked towards the center of the plane.

"Make yourself comfortable. It's not a long flight, but we'll discuss the simple stuff on the way there," Tony stated, sitting himself in one of the gold seats. It almost seemed like a throne on him.

Another man entered, he was lean and muscular and he shook Tony's hand like he'd known him for a long time.

"Ah, good timing, Rhodey." He turned towards the agents by the door of the plane. "Tell the captain we're ready to go."

The agents nodded and knocked on the cockpit door. Tony spun in his chair and faced Aimee. "Go ahead, sit down," he motioned towards the seat and she sat down apprehensively.

"Is this the girl?" "Rhodey" said, eyeing her as she stared around at her environment in wonder.

"Yep, this is the one. Rhodey, this is Aimee Smith. Aimee, this is James Rhodes."

Aimee stood up and walked towards him, taking his hand in her hand and shaking it a little less aggressively then she had shaken Tony's. "It's so good to meet you," she said, smiling. He pulled his hand away after a second and nodded.

"You too, Aimee."

"Please buckle your seat belts for take off," a voice came over the speakers. The agents went towards the back of the plane and sat down, leaving Aimee, Rhodes, and Tony towards the front. Aimee fastened her even expensive looking seat belt and looked out the window as the plane slowly moved towards the runway.

"Scared of flying?" Rhodes asked, as the plane gained speed and Aimee pulled against her jeans anxiously.

"I prefer to be on the ground. It's been a while since I've flown, too."

"Well don't worry. This plane is highly equipped for optimal safety. I should know. I designed it," Tony smiled and then put his hands behind his head and leaned back.

"So, did the agents tell you why you're here?" He looked towards the men in the back.

"They weren't the biggest talkers," Aimee muttered, turning away from the window.

"Well, instead of talking, I'll show you." Tony turned on the flat screen TV with a flick of his hand. He pulled up the same video the agents had shown her earlier.

Aimee pursed her lips as she watched the video again, her heart jumping as the plane lifted off the ground and gained momentum into the air.

"Okay, you caught me," she said waving her hand in the air. "I am the guest star of an episode of CSI."

Tony huffed. "You and I both know this is not from a TV show. In fact, this was recorded on May fourth, 2012 in New York City during a battle. And you know how I know that?"

"Because of the time stamp on the bottom right corner of the video?" Aimee guessed, looking at the paused screen that was zoomed into her face.

Tony paused and then shrugged. "Well that. And, I was there."

Aimee bit her lip. For once in her life she didn't know what to say. Well, scratch that. There was that one time when her very drunk coworker told her she cheated on her husband all the time when the husband was standing right next to them. That had been awkward too. But somehow, this was even more awkward.

"Okay, okay. I give up. So, what do you want?" She asked.

A woman in a skimpy flight attendant dress came out and offered a huge smile. "Any drinks from the bar?"

Tony and Rhodes ordered their own drinks and then looked expectedly at Aimee. "Oh, nothing for me thanks. Liquor makes me talk a lot and I don't think that would be the best option for me right now."

One of the agents in the back scoffed. "Liquor makes you talk _more_?"

Aimee shrugged and pulled her knees up to her chest as the flight attendant walked to the small bar and got the men's drinks.

"We want you to join our team," Tony said simply, as he took the glass from the attendant.

"Like... Soccer team? I'm not good at sports."

Tony smiled. "The Avengers."

Aimee, raised her eyebrows and took a large breath that she released and stood up from her chair. She didn't know if it was free to move about the cabin, but if she didn't get up she was afraid she might pass out.

"Obviously, you'll meet everyone and you'll be assessed to make sure you're ready for this, but I have the utmost of faith in you and I believe you'll make an essential part of the team," Tony continued, as the small girl in front of him paced back and forth.

"And you get all that from one video? One stupid video? You can barely make out what I'm doing. It's so grainy. Was this shot on a potato? I mean come on, this is insane!"

"I've done my research, Aimee. And I know more about you then you think."

"Okay, now that just sounds creepy," she said, staring up at herself on the TV. She shook her head. "No, I can't do that. I can't join your team."

"And why is that?" Tony said, raising a hand before Rhodes could argue with her.

"The last Government Agency I helped out..." She trailed off. "I don't do what I did anymore. That's not me anymore."

"This video begs to differ."

"Yes, because that was different. I had to help that woman. She was dying."

Tony pushed back his violet tinted glasses and leaned forward. "So you like helping people?"

"Of course but I-"

"If you join us, you could help a _lot_ of people, Aimee. And we're not a Government Agency. We're just a group of people who want to help other people. Seems to be right up your alley."

Aimee continued to stare up at herself on the TV and chew her bottom lip. "And what if I say no?"

"Then you can go home. I'll arrange for your flight home and you can go about your life like this never happened."

Aimee sighed. "So what, you're going to take me to a mansion and show me how good a life I could have if I joined your little team so I'll agree to this?"

"No," Tony said, before offering a small smile. "It's a tower. Not a mansion."

A/N: Okay this is my first Avengers Fanfic so go easy on me lol. I've been in love with Steve Rogers since the beginning but seeing him in Infinity War... Blew my mind. I'm going to try my best to get everything right, but since I'm strictly going by the movies I might get some things wrong. And feel free to correct me if I do get something wrong! This is going to be Steve x OC but a slow burn. Thank you everyone for reading, please leave a review!


	2. Of Glass Shards & Hot Russian Spies

Aimee spent the rest of the flight mulling around in her head the ups and downs of taking this job. What about the dogs? The dogs would be fine under Jennifer's care. But what if no one in the Avengers likes her? Who cares? She'll be helping people.

By the end of the flight her head hurt and all she wanted was to take a hot shower and sleep for ten years. Yes, ten years should do it. The Avengers wouldn't be a thing in ten years, right? She pushed her temples lightly with her thumbs and looked up when she saw a shadowy figure stand over her.

"We're going to be landing soon," Rhodes said, holding out a glass of water. "You got a headache?" He added, watching her thumbs massage her head.

"Yeah, actually," she said, eagerly taking the glass of water. She took a long sip and then set it on the cup holder to her side. Tony was still typing on his phone, as he had started doing when Aimee had told him she had to think.

"So..." Rhodes trailed off and scratched his neck awkwardly. "How does it work? Can you like... Make the headache go away?"

Aimee smiled. "Yes," she replied softly. But I like to feel it. Reminds me that I'm human."

Rhodes nodded like he understood. "Well, if you do get tired of the pain, I've got Tylenol. That's also something humans do."

Aimee smiled and took another sip as the plane began it's descent. Tony put his phone away and buckled his seatbelt. Aimee followed his actions.

The flight hadn't taken too long but the sun was almost done setting when the trio finally stepped down the flight of stairs and onto the runway. The lot was lit up by large spot lights so Aimee could make out a welcoming team as they made their way to the airport. Tony and Rhodes walked on either side of her and Tony smiled and enveloped a woman as they met up with the waiting people.

When he pulled back, Tony motioned to the woman. "Aimee, this is Pepper. Pepper, this is Aimee."

Pepper held out her hand and Aimee eagerly took it and shook it. "Wow, _the_ Pepper Potts. It's so nice to meet you!"

Pepper smiled and pulled away her hand delicately. "You all look tired. Let's get you to the Tower."

After loading into another black SUV, Aimee stared out the window as they drove into the heart of the city. It was still rumbling with tourists and locals alike. The city that never sleeps. Aimee hadn't been back since The Incident, but it felt like she had just been there yesterday. She leaned her head against the cool glass window of the SUV and closed her eyes.

"Hey, sleepy head," a voice startled her awake. "Time to go."

Aimee sat up with a start, immediately wiping the dried drool on her chin. She looked across the seat and saw Tony leaning in with a gleeful smile. "You are just quite the snorer," he added, winking before backing up.

"Oh my God," Aimee groaned, before opening the door on the SUV. "I was having the greatest dream too. I was in a hot springs with the most beautiful man you could ever imagine." She smiled, thinking about it when Pepper brought her out of her trance.

"Okay, I have the rest of the members up and waiting in the meeting room. Fury and I thought it might be best to introduce Aimee to everyone first."

"Just what I was thinking," Tony says.

"Okay, but hear me out," Aimee says, stifling a yawn. "What happens when everyone really likes me and then I decide not to join the team? I don't want to break any hearts, ya know?"

Tony laughed. "I like your confidence. And I don't think that'll be a problem."

"Okaaay, if you say so," Aimee shrugged.

The entered the back of the building through a heavy steel door that was guarded by two agents. When they saw Tony, they nodded and stepped aside, like he was some sort of king. They headed right towards the elevators and Rhodes, Tony, Pepper, and Aimee stepped inside. The agents that had traveled with Aimee originally took their place next to the elevator to stand guard as the elevator doors closed.

"Hello, Mr. Stark," a voice boomed over some speakers and Aimee jumped, grabbing Tony's suit.

"Who said that?"

"Relax," Rhodes said, laughing slightly. "That's just JARVIS."

"JARVIS?" Aimee looked around at the ceiling, letting go of Tony's now wrinkled suit sleeve.. "Is he a ghost or something?"

"Oh no ma'am. I'm not a ghost. I'm an artificially intelligent computer."

"An artificially intelligent... computer?"

"Okay, that's a story for another time." Tony placed his hand on a scanner and had his retina scanned when he pressed one of the top floors of the tower. The elevator immediately began to shoot up and Aimee felt her stomach turn slightly at the speed. All others in the elevator did not react and Aimee felt completely out of place. She wasn't used to all of this high tech technology. She had just upgraded from a flip phone to an iPhone the previous year, which she now realized she had left in her car while she had been at work.

The elevator door dinged open and Aimee had to blink a few times to decipher just exactly what she was seeing. The elevator led out to a open room, with two fireplaces and sitting areas, a kitchen to the left, and doorways leading to other rooms. There was a large flat screen TV (even bigger then the one on the plane), along with a bigger bar nestled next to the kitchen.

"Wow," she breathed, as her comrades walked into the room and past the amenities while Aimee struggled to keep up, while also admiring all the extravagant things she'd never seen before.

"So who's here?" Tony asked Pepper who was flipping through a tablet.

"Natasha, Clint, Banner and Rogers," Pepper replied.

"So everyone besides the God?" Tony asked, stealing an apple off the bar top counter as the walked by and into a hallway leading to a different part of the building.

"Yes, he's a little hard to reach," Pepper said, and Tony chuckled.

"I can see that." He paused before a door. "Okay," he clapped his hands together and turned to face Aimee and Rhodes.

"So, this is it, huh? End of the line," Aimee squinted her eyes and tried to peer through the glass door, but it was frosted so she couldn't make anything out.

"Think of this like... A meet and greet. You'll introduce yourself, and then we'll get you settled in for the night. Easy peasey."

Aimee scrunched up her nose but nodded. "I guess I'm ready as I'll ever be."

"I have the utmost of faith in you, Smith."

And with that, he turned around and opened the glass door with a dramatic entrance. Pepper followed, then Aimee, and then Rhodes, who gave her a reassuring smile before she entered the room.

"Alright my amigos and amigas," Tony strode all the way to the other side of the wooden table that sat in the middle of the office-type room and then turned around to face the bored people sitting at the table. "Here she is," he motioned to her and smiled.

Aimee felt her heart jumping in her chest. What did she get herself into?

Aimee stared at the table, or more like, the people sitting at the table. On the right, sat the very redhead and absurdly beautiful Natasha Romanoff. Sitting on the table with his feet propped on one of the office chairs was Clint Barton, who stopped polishing his bow when Tony walked in. Sitting in a chair who looked as if just woke up from a very nice nap was who Aimee guessed was Banner. In the news reports, they mostly just showed his alter ego, The Hulk, tearing through the city. And pacing on the side of the room was none other than the Captain himself. Steve Rogers.

Aimee felt her knees go weak at the sight of them and almost considered turning around and running down all 60 something flights of stairs to get out of this situation. But something kept her glued to the spot.

"This is her?" Natasha said, crossing her leg and looking at her up and down.

"This is me," Aimee said, her voice slightly more high pitched than she wanted it to be. "Wow, you're the Black Widow," Aimee breathed before walking towards her and shaking her hand. "It's an honor, really."

Natasha awkwardly accepted the handshake but pulled back after a few seconds.

"Wow," Aimee breathed again. "You're so much hotter in person."

She trailed off and then looked around the room. "Crap, did I just say that out loud?" She cleared her throat and then looked around the room again. "It's an honor to meet all of you. I'm Aimee."

"Aimee, this is Bruce," Tony said, motioning to the man who had since perked up since Aimee had called the world's deadliest assassin hot. He waved and smiled. "And this is Clint," he motioned towards the bow wielding man who merely nodded in greeting. "And you know Natasha," he smiled wickedly before turning to the last man in the room she had yet to be introduced to. "And this is the most patriotic pain in my ass, Steve."

He rolled his eyes but then held out his hand to Aimee and she took it, hoping he couldn't sense her hand shaking. "Nice to meet you," he said curtly, before pulling away again.

"So what? Are you a super nerd like Tony? Clint asked, clearly judging her small frame.

"No, I would say by her absolutely shock of JARVIS, she doesn't do technology like Tony does," Rhodes said before taking a seat across from Natasha and folding his arms.

"So what do you do?" Natasha asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I-" she stammered, looking around the room at all the eyes watching her like she was a piece of meat and they were the hungry wolves. "I'm really good at bathing dogs," she offered, her chest feeling tight. Was it hot in here? She wished she was wearing a tank top instead of her heavy t-shirt from work.

No one said anything for a moment. Tony looked disappointed that she had not revealed her secrets. He was about to speak again when a voice spoke from behind her instead.

"Ah, now. Don't be modest Miss Smith. You are one of the most talented and individuals in this country... Hell, maybe even this room."

Aimee turned around and saw a tall, buff man standing in the door frame. There was an eye patch going across his eye and Aimee bit her lip.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man said, pushing himself off the door frame and reached out a hand. This time, it was Aimee's turn to take it tentatively. "My name is Nick Fury, and I'm the person who put this whole team together."

He smiled brightly and Aimee felt slightly blinded by his stark white teeth. There was something cold in his handshake but Aimee smiled back nonetheless. "Aimee. But I guess you already knew that."

"I did, yes. I know more about you then you think." He let go of her hand and strode over to wear Tony stood, motioning towards a TV that was hung on the wall behind them.

"Exhibit A. JARVIS, please play the tape from May fourth, 2012."

Aimee looked at her feet as all the Avengers turned to look at the TV.

The TV played black and white footage from the attack on New York City. It was from a cell phone. Probably a lower grade phone, since the picture was grainy and hard to make out. A man was running, but of course, had his phone good and ready to record everything that was happening because why not? That was the way of the world now. Film first, run later. He ran past several people, who stumbled to get someplace safe from Loki's army. He found a small crowd and pushed through to get the best footage possible.

A woman lies on the ground, her shirt bloodied from glass shards that had fallen from a building's window. A large piece of glass stuck out of her chest. Her eye lids fluttered.

"Is there a doctor anyone?!" someone called out. "She needs help!"

People are flying past the woman on the ground, screaming. Running for their lives. Suddenly, a figure pushes through the small crowd. She's wearing a baseball cap and dark sunglasses, her dark hair pulled back. "Move," she says to the man who had originally yelled for a doctor. He stands back and watches as the woman evaluates the woman's injuries. "She's dying," the woman says.

"Can you help her?" the man yells.

The woman pauses and then reaches down and wraps her hand around the shard of glass sticking out of the woman's chest.

"Don't pull it out!" a woman screams, her face scratched and bloodied too.

The woman ignores her and pulled the glass from the woman's body. Blood rushes out of the now opened wound. The woman uses her arm to wipe the sweat of her brow, in turn, pulling off her sunglasses and revealing her face. Aimee turns away when you can clearly see it's her in the video.

She then puts both her hands on the woman's bleeding wound and closes her eyes.

"What the Hell are you doing?" a man screams.

"Shut up!" Aimee screams, readjusts herself, and then focuses again, with her eyes closed tight. The man's phone is still blurry and grainy, but you can briefly see a light shine from underneath Aimee's hands in the video.

"What the-" the man filming starts. Then Aimee lifts her hands from the woman's body and stands up. There's still blood on her shirt, but the wound is completely gone. The man moves in closer to the woman and sees that all her scrapes and cuts from the glass are gone. The woman suddenly gulps air and sits up, clutching at her chest.

"Hey, you're okay," the man filming says, as he moves in closer to her. The woman's eyes are stained with mascara and her lips shake as the man helps her to her feet.

"I thought-" the woman starts. "I thought I was going to die."

The man filming moves his camera to where Aimee had been standing, but she's no longer there. He turns the camera this way and that, but the woman is gone. The camera shakes and then Fury pauses it.

The room is quiet after the video is paused. Aimee bites her lip and shuffles her foot uncomfortably.

"You're a tough lady to find. After the video was put on the video, people concluded that it was photoshopped. Edited. Because there had no introduction of an Avenger that can heal people." Everyone looked from Fury to Aimee.

"So, you healed her?" Bruce asked, folding his hands together and looking at her now with interest.

"It wasn't a big deal. I mean the cut wasn't even that bad," she shrugged.

"There was a giant shard in her chest," Clint said bluntly.

"She would've died if you hadn't done that," Steve Rogers observed. Aimee felt her cheeks grow hot.

"So what's the story then?" Clint says, seeming slightly irritated. "You can literally heal people by just touching them and we are just _now_ finding out about you?"

"Clint-" Natasha warns, but he stands up and paces towards the video.

"Think of how many lives you could've saved that day! How many civilians, officers, _children_! Succumbed to their wounds!"

"I did tell you we should leave the hot-headed assassin out of this conversation until we had a better grasp of it all," Tony interjected to Fury.

Fury furrowed his eyebrows. "Clint, stop it. Now."

"No," Clint growled. "I want to know why we are just hearing about this woman now."

Aimee clenched her fist and felt her eyes start to water. _No. I can't cry in front of these people._ "It's not that simple," she muttered.

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked, her eyes narrowed, but not full of malice, but pure curiosity.

"I just," Aimee trailed off. "There's a reason I was a hard woman to find. I didn't want to be found."

"Join the club," Bruce muttered, running his hands through his hair.

"Why don't you want to help?" Steve asked, his face impossible to read.

Aimee tore her eyes away from the Captain and shook her head. "I told you I'd hear you out. I did. Now, I want to go home. I can't do this."

Before anyone could protest, Tony clapped his hands together and smiled. "Actually, you agreed to stay the night, I believe. How about we all go get some nice beauty rest and tackle this again in the morning?"

Clint shook his head. "What's the point? She clearly has no interest helping anyone." He gave the girl one last dirty look before sauntering out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

"Who pissed in his cornflakes this morning?" Tony muttered, before shaking his head. "Alright, clearly Robin Hood is not the best person to introduce new recruits to. But let's get you set up in one of our _lofts,"_ he emphasizes the word as if that will seal the deal, "and you think about everything tonight and tomorrow, we can talk again. Sound good?"

Aimee reluctantly nodded, and the people around her began to stand up to leave. Natasha gave her a half smile as she walked past her and Rhodes lightly squeezed her shoulder before walking out, but Bruce, Steve, Fury, and Tony stayed put in the room.

"Hey, look," Bruce walked up to her, his hands in his pockets and his voice small so that Tony, Fury, and Steve couldn't hear him talk from their position by the TV. "I don't know why you don't want to help, obviously. But I do know a lot about not wanting to be found," he trails off but then looked deep into her eyes. "I'm glad I was."

He smiled sadly at her and then walked out the room. She bit her lip and sighed. He didn't understand. He couldn't understand. Then again, he was The Hulk.

"Alright, let's get you settled then," Tony said, pulling her out of her thoughts. She didn't realize that Steve, Fury, and he had finished having their private meeting and were now standing next to her, ready to bring her to her home for the night.

Tony led her out of the office and back towards the elevator. Now, it was just the two of them. She was absolutely speechless, which shocked her more than anything from this day. She stood elbow to elbow to him as she waiting for the elevator doors to open.

After what felt like an eternity, the elevator doors slid open and Tony stood aside to let her on first. Aimee muttered a quiet thank you and the awkward silence hung heavy once again after the doors closed. They were only going down one flight, so luckily the doors opened within another two minutes and she was spared a little bit of the awkwardness.

"I had the Stark Tower redone after The Avengers were formed. The top floors have all been redesigned to suit the team's needs. This floor has housing options for everyone, though not everyone uses them," he says as they walk down a hallway and to a room down the corridor.

The room is very simple. There's a bed in the center, with a plush white comforter and two pillows at the head. There's a modern desk across from the bed with a large flat screen TV hanging above it. There's a door to her right that's closed, but Aimee assumes the door leads to a bathroom, or a closet. Aimee steps forward and runs a hand over the comforter

"It's not quite five stars, but it'll do." She turns and smiles at the billionaire still standing in the doorway.

Tony chuckled and says: "I had Pepper get you some pajamas she thought would fit you. "They're on the bed," he motions to the pair of very expensive looking silk pajamas resting on the comforter. Aimee feels the fabric between her fingers and sighs. She had never touched anything so expensive in her life.

"Thank you, Tony, I really appreciate this."

"Of course. Don't stress about everyone's reactions from the meeting. They're just constantly in a state of stress. It's just their nature. Think about what you want to do tonight, and we'll discuss it tomorrow."

"Can I use your phone?" she asks, before he turns around and leaves. He stops and reaches in his pocket to pull out a phone that Aimee is almost positive is too high tech to be out on the market yet.

"Do you have yours?" Tony asks.

"I left it in my car at the shelter."

"Right." He cringes awkwardly. "Speaking of that, should you decide to stay, your items at home will be collected and brought to you."

"Eh, don't trouble yourselves. I don't have much. And I'll just tell Jennifer to take it all." Aimee types in Jennifer's phone number as she absentmindedly waves off Tony's offer.

"Who's Jennifer?"

"My friend. She practically runs the dog shelter I work at."

Jennifer answers the phone. "Hello?" she sounds tired.

"Hey Jenn it's Aimee."

"Aimee? Why the Hell are you calling me so late? You in trouble? Please don't tell me you went to Vegas again."

Aimee chuckles. "No, Jenn, I'm not in Vegas." She notices Tony raises his eyebrows at her response. "I'm in New York City."

"New York City?!" She sounds like she's about to have a heart attack. "Jesus. What are you doing there?"

"It's hard to explain. Listen, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to make it to the shelter tomorrow. For obvious reasons. I hope I'll be back tomorrow night, but I'll keep you updated. If you need to contact me, just call this number."

There's a long pause and then Jennifer sighs. "You give me high blood pressure, woman. Okay, I'll take care of everything tomorrow. Keep me updated."

"Will do."

The line goes dead. Aimee sighs and hands him back the phone. "Thanks."

"Of course." He turns to leave again but stops. "Remind me to ask you about Vegas."

Aimee laughs and shakes her head. "We'll see."

And with that, the door shuts quietly and for the first time since that morning, Aimee was completely alone. Being alone was something Aimee wasn't afraid of. In fact, she had grown to enjoy the comfort of silence and freedom of peace. She had spent most of her life alone. And while she was enjoying this brief moment of solitude, she found herself wishing she was back at the kennel. While being with dogs did not make her alone, she found the presence of dogs a lot more enjoyable than the presence of humans, after all.

She turned the handle of the mysterious door in her room and was relieved to see it led to a small bathroom. She really didn't feel like scoping around the downstairs right now, with there being the chance she'd run into Clint.

She felt joyful taking off her dirty clothes and tossing them in the corner of the bathroom. She wasn't lying when she said she probably smelled disgusting, and she wondered if maybe her ill smell had been part of the reason Clint snapped at her like that. She had trouble at first getting the shower to actually work. Tony didn't skimp on the theatrics, even in a guest bedroom's bathroom. But after a moment she figured it out and relished as the hot water poured over her body, like a waterfall.

She spent extra time as she washed her hair, working the luxurious shampoo and condition through her long dark locks and thanking God there was also a razor and shaving cream in the shower as well. This time, she shaved all the way up her thighs, instead of stopping at the knee as usual. She wasn't expecting anything to happen, but with so many gorgeous men around, she assumed it would be better to be safe than sorry.

After her shower, she spun her thick hair into a hair turban and put on a white robe that hung next to the shower. She grabbed some of the fancy lotion that waited in a small basket on the sink and rubbed it on her tanned skin. It had been a long time since she'd paid this much attention to her vanity. She wasn't ashamed to admit it felt nice.

It wasn't long after she'd let her wet hair down and changed into the silken pajamas when she heard a light knock on the door. She assumed it was Tony, maybe with a massage therapist and facial expert to go along with all of the other luxurious items but when she pulled open the door she was shocked to see Captain America facing her. She immediately felt naked beneath the thin fabric of the tank top she wore and crossed her arms over her chest.

A/N: Okay, MAJOR cliffhanger but if I get a decent amount of reviews I'll post the chapter with Steve tomorrow!... So if you like the story please review! I know there are some inconsistencies with the story… Like Tony's PTSD but there's never really a moment in the movie verse where they're just the Avengers with no drama lol. So I made my own little timeline but I promise it'll work into the movie verse really well!

Thank you so much to Captain Dingbat and ahandley for your reviews!


	3. Of Fruit Loops and Late Talks

The tall man averted his gaze and cleared his throat. "I saw that your light was still on. I wanted to see if you were hungry."

As if on cue at the mention of food, Aimee's stomach gargled so loud she was sure everyone in New York would've heard it. "I guess my stomach is speaking for me from now on," she laughed awkwardly, but was happy to see him laugh whole heartedly in response.

"Trust me, I know the feeling."

Aimee looked briefly at the size of his muscles and wondered if he really ever knew the true meaning of hunger. Those arms looked like they hadn't skipped a meal in ages. Aimee retreated back into the bedroom and grabbed the robe she'd thrown lazily on the floor after she'd gotten dressed. Feeling much more comfortable with the thick material around her, she walked back to the doorway and smiled. "Lead the way."

Steve Rogers led her down the hallway and into another open area that contained another kitchen. This one was smaller than the one upstairs, but was still fully stocked with just about any food Aimee could imagine.

"Any requests?" Steve asked, opening up a cupboard and revealing a few different boxes of cereal.

"You guys have Fruit Loops?" She asked, her eyes widening at the unopened box she spied in the corner.

"Yeah, I guess," the Captain replied, reaching up and pulling down the red box from the cabinet. Aimee felt her eyes following his well-built back and arm muscles as he was reaching but caught herself before he turned back around. She hoped he couldn't notice her cheeks turning red. "Want some?" He asked, inspecting the box.

"Uh, yes," Aimee replied as if that was obvious. She pulled back one the bar stools and sat down as the former Army man got her a bowl and a spoon. "You're not going to have some?"

"I'm not even sure what these are," he confessed, staring at the signature toucan that decorated the box.

"You've never had fruit loops?" Aimee asked, acting shocked as she filled her bowl and he grabbed the milk from the large refrigerator across from the island where she sat. "Boy, get yourself a bowl and spoon. I'm about to blow your mind."

Operation: Fruit Loops was a success, Aimee noted as the man poured himself his third bowl. Aimee wished she could eat three bowls of sugary cereal every night and maintain a form as amazing as he had, even if his body _was_ genetically modified.

"These are amazing," he said after finishing the last bowl. "Now I know why Banner asks JARVIS to keep them in stock."

"The robot does your grocery shopping?" Aimee asked, picking up her bowl and running water into it before putting it in the dishwasher.

"Not exactly. At least I don't think. I'm not really... technologically savvy yet. I'm learning though. Rhodey showed me how to use the Google a few days ago."

Aimee snorted at his use of "The Google" and tried to stiffle her laughing. He looked at her somewhat confused so she stopped herself as much as she could and sat back down on the barstool across from him. "That's great, I'm proud of you."

He seemed to beam for a moment before turning serious again. "So. Do you know what you're going to do?"

Aimee stared down at the granite island before her and tapped her fingers against the cold surface. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Why? Did they send you here to convince me to stay? Were you sent to woo me with cereal?" She looked at him under dark lashes and smiled playfully.

He smirked. "If they'd been behind this I think they would've had a five course meal prepared."

Aimee shrugged. "You're right. Tony probably would've paid Beyoncé to perform and everything."

"I know Beyoncé!" Steve exclaimed before running a hand through his hair embarrassedly. "I heard her on the radio a few times."

Aimee laughed again. "Well she's the most important thing to know. So there, you're all caught up."

He smiled again. "I wish it were that easy."

"Me too," she said, looking down again. He knew she wasn't talking about her knowledge of Beyoncé. He was leaning against the counter across from her. Wearing a just a plain simple white t-shirt and a pair of exercise pants. In the meeting, he had seemed... daunting. But here, he was just a normal guy. She sighed. "I know what you're thinking."

"I don't think you have any idea what I'm thinking," he countered, his face expressionless. Aimee struggled to maintain eye contact. That had always been her weakness. They used to scold her for her lack of eye contact during confrontations.

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do," she confessed.

He took a deep breath and folded his arms across his chest. "The way I see it, we're not _supposed_ to do anything. Everything we do is a choice. Was I _supposed_ to be frozen in the ice for 70 years?"

"Yeah, but that's the difference. You did choose that. We read about you in the history books at the orphan- I mean in school," she caught herself and didn't look up to see if he had noticed her mistake. "I didn't choose to have this..."

"Maybe. But I made that choice because I wanted to help people."

"I'm not going to be used," she felt herself getting defensive. "I'm not going to be your clean up crew. I'm not going to clean up after your messes." She clenched her fist thinking about the incident in New York.

"I don't think that's why they brought you here," he said, truthfully. He lowered his hands to his sides again.

Aimee paused and looked back up at him. He was still looking straight at her. He really had the whole "eye contact" thing down pat. She might ask him for a few tips one day. "Then why did they bring me here," she asked quietly.

He sighed. "I don't know, honestly. But I do think you should consider hearing them out."

Aimee mimicked his sigh and pressed her fingers to her temples. "I'll keep that in mind."

She yawned and saw Steve stand up. "You should probably get some sleep."

"Yeah, yeah," she mused, getting up from her seat. "Where's your room?" She asked, wondering, and slightly hoping that it was down the same hallway as her room. He motioned with his head to a different area though.

"You think you can find your way back to your room?" He asked, a childish smile forming on his lips.

"Hm, I'm not sure... I might get lost," she laughed, considering the room was fairly close to the kitchen area. She began to walk towards her hallway. He followed for a moment and then stopped. "Thank you for the midnight snack, Captain," she turned and smiled. He smiled back.

"Thank you for blowing my mind."

Swoon.

He turned to leave but stopped again. "Hey, listen. I don't know much about you. But they said you worked full time at a dog rescue for no pay at all. A lot of things have changed since I woke up, but one thing that didn't is good and evil. I can tell you're a good person. I mean, anyone who works with dogs has to be, right?" He paused and chuckled. "And I think anyone who devotes their whole life to saving them might want to do something bigger."

Aimee held back a large grin. "Well, dogs are better than humans, I think. They never argue with you. Or get mad because you can't save everyone." Her voice was quiet.

Steve looked at her almost sympathetically. "I think you underestimate humans. Not all of us are bad. He smiled. "Goodnight, Aimee."

"Goodnight, Steve."

And with that, they both turned and headed towards their rooms.

A/N: Thank you so much for everyone's reviews!


	4. Of Hulk Selfies and Dark Circles

"Good morning."

Aimee yawned and then smiled in greeting at the sight of three Avengers standing around the kitchen. At the island, where Aimee and Steve had been just last night, sat Clint, his body hunched over a newspaper. Natasha sat at a small kitchen table and watched the muted News Station on the TV and Bruce leaned against the counter eating a bowl of cereal.

At her greeting, Clint merely grunted, his eyes never leaving the paper, Natasha smiled sweetly and Bruce beamed at her presence.

"How did you sleep?" Natasha asked.

"Like a baby," Aimee lied, nonchalantly searching the room for a certain missing avenger with signature blonde hair. She felt her chest deflate when she realized he was missing, but then scolded herself for feeling that way.

Aimee, at the most, had five minutes of sleep last night. After she and Steve had parted ways, she had tried to lie down and settle her racing mind, but to no avail. She spent the entire night tossing and turning in the unfamiliar bed, wondering what the hell she was going to do. But they didn't need to know that. She, luckily, had found a small stick of concealer she'd kept in the bottom of her ragged bag and tried to cover up the dark circles under her eyes that morning.

She had tied her hair up in her best "professional" bun (though the stray hairs that had fallen out said otherwise), and took advantage of the amenities she suspected Pepper had put in the bathroom before her arrival. There was an expensive looking vibrating toothbrush, face wash, and moisturizer that her face was extremely grateful for. After she had applied the moisturizer she saw just how deep and dark the half moons were that plagued her tanned skin. She was glad she'd decided not to wear mascara to the kennel the day before, or else she'd really look like a raccoon.

She smiled brightly at the super-humans in the room, keeping her tension to herself and walked up to the island confidently.

"There's not much for breakfast…" Bruce started but then paused. "Oh, wait," he opened the cabinet door and pulled down a bowl. "Steve finished up the fruit loops but told me to give you this."

Aimee took the bowl and couldn't help but smile. The bowl had Saran Wrap covering the top and was filled with the fruity cereal. He had saved her some Fruit Loops. She could feel the blush warming in her chest. On the outside of the wrap the Captain had written in sloppy letters: _To blow your mind- Steve_.

Aimee took off the wrapping and tried to place it carefully in the jeans that were creepily in her size outside her door this morning, along with a fresh white t-shirt that was not-so-creepily a little big for her. Trying to hide the redness she was sure was on her face, she went to the fridge and grabbed the jug of milk.

"Well thank you Doctor Banner," she replied, taking her bowl to the island and sitting in the barstool next to the grumpy archer.

"Just Bruce," he said, offering a small smile. Aimee smiled and shoveled the cereal in her mouth and the Avengers went back to what they were doing. Bruce finished his cereal, put the empty bowl in the sink and then pulled out a small device from his pocket and began to fiddle with it.

"What's that?" Aimee asked between bites.

"Tony's prototype cell. He wants special ones made just for us to have the best means of communication between each other." He waved the glass piece of technology at her so that she could see it better and she raised her eyebrows.

The device was about the size of her hand and was almost entirely transparent, like a piece of glass. She could see words lit up on the screen but couldn't make anything out.

"Looks extremely breakable," Aimee commented, wondering how badly and easily it would break during a fight like what happened in New York.

Natasha grunted from the couch. "That's what I said."

Bruce nodded in agreement and shrugged. "Tony claims it's completely shatterproof."

"Well I guess there's only one way to find out," Aimee smiled wickedly, standing up from her now empty bowl and walking towards Bruce with an open hand.

"I don't know…" Bruce struggled, knowing exactly what the girl was planning to do. "Tony would kill me if I destroyed this thing."

"If you destroy it it wouldn't be "unbreakable" would I? Technically, it would be his fault." Aimee continued to smile, and the conversation caught Natasha's interest who looked over at them, matching Aimee's smile.

"She's got a point. Plus, any chance of getting Tony off that high horse of his is a chance we need to take."

Bruce sighed and hesitantly handed the device over to her.

Aimee looked over her device and slid her fingers across the smooth service. It was sturdy, but incredibly light. She almost felt remorse about what she was about to do. But she shrugged, wrapped her hand around the device, and then threw the phone across the room at the wall… at the exact moment Tony Stark walked into the room, the Captain and Rhodes right behind him.

"Well, that's one way to thank your gracious host for a great evening," he mused, before bending down and picking the phone up. Glass shards fell from the phone and onto the floor.

"You said it was shatterproof," Bruce said, wincing slightly as the front of the phone fell apart in Tony's hands.

"I said it was shatter- _resistant_ ," he countered. "Drop it while taking a green hulking selfie, you're fine. Pitch it like you're auditioning for the Mets… Not so fine."

Aimee raised her hand slightly and grimaced. "My bad."

"It's fine. I've got like ten more of these being worked on right now," he said, and upon seeing Bruce's confused expression added: "What? You really think I'm going to entrust a new piece of advanced technology to a guy who has anger issues?"

Bruce looked momentarily offended but then shrugged in understanding.

"Well, if you're done throwing phones around, Fury wants us all to meet in the briefing room." Tony gave a small wink at Aimee and then set the phone down on a side table next to him. "I don't suppose your healing abilities extend to shattered phones?"

Aimee smiled smally. "No, sorry. Tends to break off at things without brains."

"Oh no, looks like she won't be able to help you out, Cap," Tony draped his hand over the soldier dramatically and Steve shrugged him off.

"Very funny."

Upon seeing a glare from the red-headed Russian assassin who was now standing up in the kitchen, Tony rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. She set me up for that."

"Alright, troops, let's get going." Tony then turned on heel and began walking down the hall, followed by the other Avengers, except Captain. Aimee stayed behind until it was just the two of them again. She felt like she could breathe more easily when it was just them.

"After you," he stepped aside and smiled slightly, as Aimee stepped into the hallway, feeling her heart beating.

"Thank you," she replied, feeling unusually shy at his manners. She began walking, each step feeling like a life sentence. If she said no to the team, she would regret it. But if she said yes, she could regret it too. She had no idea what to do.

"Do you know what you're going to do?"

Aimee almost groaned outwardly at his question.

"Honestly? I have no idea what I'm going to do."

He chuckled slightly. "I thought so. When I woke up in this future world, I had no idea what I wanted to do either."

"I can't imagine they gave you much of a choice."

"No, I guess not. But even if they really had, I know what my choice would have been."

"And what is that?"

"The same choice I made in 1941. To fight for people."

She felt a chill go down her spine. She hoped she could be as brave as he is. But she didn't know if she could be that person. At least, not anymore.

A moment later, they entered the room, where Fury stood at the end behind at large table, like the one she'd initially been in, just under 24 hours ago. There were two other men in black suits at his side, and a woman already sitting at the table. Aimee took a seat opposite Fury, at the head of a table like a King. The other Avengers sat on either sides of the table, Natasha and Steve sitting closest to her.

"Alright, is everyone here," Tony asked, scanning the room before sitting down. "Let's get this thing going."

Aimee," Fury began, clasping his hands together and pacing around the front of the room. "You show exceptional abilities that we, The Avengers, think would but essential to the team. I know this is going to be a very tough decision but-"

"I'll do it."

Fury stopped pacing and turned to her, his eyebrows raised in shock. "I'm sorry?"

"I will do it. I want to help."

"Wow," Tony interjected. "We did not think it was going to be that easy."

Aimee half smiled and breathed deeply. "The last time I told someone about my ability…" she trailed off. "I was betrayed. I don't know why, but I trust all of you. And I'm tired of hiding. I want to help people." She stared down at her intertwined fingers.

"That's excellent," Fury said, nodding in approval. "We'll get you integrated in-"

"But-" Aimee interrupted and looked up again. "I do have some conditions."

Fury stared for a moment but then smiled and nodded. "Of course. What are your conditions Miss Smith?"

"Well," she started, "number one, I don't want any obligations or contracts. If I decide I can't do this, then I want the freedom to leave."

Fury nodded. "Of course."

"Number two… I'm not going to clean up after you guys. I want to be apart of the team, not just your clean up crew."

"Absolutely."

"Number three…." she turned to face Natasha. "This one is kind of between you and I… But I was hoping that maybe you could train me how to fight?" she felt her cheeks becoming red. "I used to fight, but you don't get a lot of action in the middle of nowhere working at an animal shelter. Though there was that one time when this guy showed up with his dog _super_ drunk and I had to use some self-defense-"

"I would love to train you," Natasha interrupted, her lips curved into a sweet smile.

"Okay," Aimee nodded. "Okay, well those are my conditions."

"Consider them done," Fury beamed once again. "Alright Aimee. Welcome to the team."

A/N: Okay sort of a boring chapter but just wanted to show Aimee's decision and everything! Thank you all so much for the follows and reviews! I appreciate them so much!


	5. Of Shelters and Stalkers

"Hey Jennifer," Aimee bit her lip trying not to smile as she held the phone up to her ear.

There was a lot of noise on the other end and Aimee could barely make anything out. She almost thought Jennifer had set her phone down when she heard her voice come back on, breathless. "Aimee?"

"Yes, it's me. What's going on?" Aimee felt slightly concerned. Was Jennifer completely overwhelmed without her help? She suddenly felt guilt tug at her heart. Maybe she made the wrong decision.

"Aimee, you won't believe what's happening," the woman's voice almost squealed with excitement.

"Try me," Aimee muttered, wondering if Jennifer would believe what was happening with her.

"Someone donated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the shelter last night."

Aimee almost dropped her phone in utter shock. She shook her head. "Two hundred fifty…. Thousand?"

"Yes!" Jennifer replied. "It was anonymous… We almost thought it was a prank. But when we went to the bank everything went through!"

Aimee couldn't believe what she was hearing. The shelter that she had worked for for years. Who barely made any sort of income and was often _in_ debt… She leaned back against the wall and felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"You have no idea who donated it?"

"Not a clue. Completely anonymous. You didn't come into some money in New York, did you?"

Aimee laughed. "Not quite. So what's going on over there?"

"We're doing some _major_ renovations. New bathtub, kennels and building more floor space… More room for the cats… It's going to be amazing. I have a hardware crew here now."

"Wow, Jenn. That's so amazing. I can't wait to see it when it's finished."

"Finished? Does this mean you're not coming back?" she sounded slightly disappointed but most unconcerned.

"Yeah, it looks like I'll be staying in New York for a while. I have some business here I need to take care of. But I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take your time," Jennifer replied. "I've got things covered on this end. Plus, you know how controlling I can get when it comes to redecorating and redoing everything."

Aimee chuckled. "You almost killed me that one day."

"I would've too."

Aimee smiled. "I know. Alright, well I'm going to be getting a new phone soon. Once I do, I'll give you the number. And you just let me know if you need anything."

"Of course. Have fun in New York City. And maybe get a little bit of a life while you're out there! Get back to your Vegas days for a while," she laughed.

Aimee almost snorted. "I don't think _anyone_ would wish for that."  
"Oh, and Aimee?"

"Yes?"

"I thought you'd like to know. The dog who's bath you did before you left… Captain America?"

"Yeah?" Aimee felt her heart beat faster at the name and silently scolded herself for it.

"He got adopted yesterday. A nice family with two kids. He's going to be really happy."

Aimee smiled. "I'm so glad."

"Alright, I gotta go. These men have no idea what they're doing. Talk to you soon."

"Goodbye, Jenn."

The line went dead.

Aimee let the hand that held Tony Stark's phone fall to her side and she leaned her head back against the wall. She had just accepted their invitation into the Avengers just about an hour ago, but it already felt like a lifetime. She missed the shelter, and wished she could be there to watch it transform into something beautiful… But she knew Jenn had it covered.

She had thought about what Steve had said their night in the kitchen. She had a gift. She should use it… Right? It was unfair of her to have this amazing gift and _not_ help people with it. But then she thought of the last time she had let a government agency in on her secret… She felt her hands clam up and her heartbeat begin to rise. She hated thinking about that time of her life. So, as always, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind and decided she should probably find Tony and give him his phone back.

As she pushed herself from the wall, she had a sudden realization.

Tony Stark.

Her brain flashed back to the conversation she had had with Jenn just the previous day. _"I think you'd need Tony Stark kinda money to be able to do that"_. Jennifer's words pierced her brain and she suddenly knew who was their "anonymous" donor.

She walked down the hall and into the kitchen area, where all of the Avengers now stood, as they waited for Aimee to get off the phone so they could discuss their next plan. Aimee walked up to Tony, and handed him the phone.

"Keep it. It's yours. I restored it and programmed Jennifer's number in it."

Aimee felt slightly taken aback and looked at the expensive technology she now owned in her hand. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I'm still working on those prototypes anyway, and I've already got one up and running that I'm using for a trial."

Aimee shrugged and placed the phone in her back pocket. "So… you'll never guess what Jennifer told me."

"Who's Jennifer?" Natasha asked from her left.

"She worked with me at the animal shelter I worked at."

Tony raised his chin almost knowingly and smiled. "And what was it that she told you?"

"An _anonymous_ donor donated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the shelter last night."

"Holy crap," Bruce breathed as he leaned once more against the kitchen counter.

"Holy crap is right," Tony said.

" _You_ wouldn't have something to do with that, would you?" Aimee raised an eyebrow and placed her hand on her hip.

"Honestly, Aimee. If I did that don't you think I would've told you about it _before_ you decided to join to help get you on board?"

What he said made sense, but Aimee still knew it was him. She smiled. "Sure. Whatever you say."

"Anyway," Tony clasped his hands together and looked around the room at The Avengers featuring new recruit: Aimee. "Let's get down to business."

"Ah yes, when is my first mission?" Aimee asked, walking up to the counter and leaning against it.

"Ha," Tony laughed. "You just decided to join and you think we have missions for you? No, you'll be here training for at _least_ a month, and then we'll think about letting you take on the leagues."

Aimee stood up straight. "Seriously? Did anyone else have a trial period before you let them _save_ lives?"

"It's for everyone's safety," Tony said, completely serious. "Even yours."

"Oh yes, watch out for the girl with the _healing_ powers. She may just _heal_ you!" she retorted, emphasizing her power.

Tony sighed. "Just trust me on this one, okay?"

Aimee held up her chin but sighed and nodded. "Okay, fine. No missions until you guys think I'm ready."

Tony nodded and then excused himself when he saw Pepper Potts standing in the doorway of the kitchen area. Now Aimee was left with the Captain, Bruce, Rhodes, Natasha and Clint.

"I have to go take care of something," Natasha said as she stared at her phone screen. "Seven tonight," she looked up and focused her attention at Aimee.

"Is that time supposed to be significant to me?" Aimee asked feeling confused.

"Our first training session."

Aimee felt herself stiffen, nervous to train with an experienced fighter like Natasha, but nodded and smiled nonetheless. "Sounds awesome."

Natasha smiled and began to walk out the door, hitting Clint on the shoulder as she walked, indicating that he go with her. He followed her out the door without another look.

"Well I guess I better go finish some research I was working on," Bruce said, grabbing an apple out of the fruit basket and following out the door that Natasha and Clint had just left out of.

Now, Captain America, Aimee, and Rhodes sat in the kitchen. Sounds like the start of a joke.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving," Rhodes said. "Lunch on me, let's go."

Without waiting for answers, he headed out the door and Aimee and the Captain followed after.

…

"I can't believe you've never had a calzone before," Aimee commented, as she stared at the giant pizza-turnover in front of her. Steve had one in front of him as well, and he stared at it almost mystified. They sat in a small Italian restaurant a few blocks away from the Tower. Aimee sat across from the two boys in a table that was situated in front of the business' window.

"It's giant," he replied. "Isn't pizza supposed to just be a triangle?"

Aimee rolled her eyes. "A calzone isn't _technically_ pizza. It's a dish all it's own. A unique piece of artwork, if you will. You'll see when you eat it."

Rhodes had already taken a rather large bite out of his and nodded as he said it back down on his plate. "Now that's the stuff."

Aimee took a smaller bite out of her's and groaned aloud. "Everything is better in New York."

"That's the truth," Rhodes said, digging into his meal again.

"So what else have you not experienced?" Aimee asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin, her question aimed at the super soldier before her.

Steve thought for a moment and shrugged. "A lot of stuff."

"That's crazy," Aimee commented. "You missed all of the important decades. Like the 70's and 80's… I mean, the Beatles, and Woodstock, and Jaws, and…" she struggled to list everything he had missed. "You have to get caught up."

Steve chuckled. "It would take a lot of time to get me caught up on everything."

"All we have is time," Aimee replied. "Do you have any aliens to fight right now?"

"Well, no-"

"Then I see no reason why you shouldn't get caught up on everything right now." She was about to suggest her ability to help when she saw a small flash in the corner of her eye.

She looked out the window and saw a man across the street, a professional camera in his hands as he stared across the street at the trio in the restaurant. Aimee narrowed her eyes, but couldn't quite make out who he was. She lowered her head and cleared her throat.

"Stalker at three o'clock," she whispered, and both boys turned their heads in the direction of the

Man. The man turned away innocently as if he hadn't just been taking photos of the two superheroes and their trainee in a pizza restaurant.

"Eh, you'll get used to it," Rhodes replied, taking another bite of his food. "After the New York incident, we get publicity all the time."

"I don't know Rhodes," Steve replied, his eyes still on the man. "This seems different." Steve lowered his eyes and the man put the camera back up to his face and began snapping pictures again.

"Jeez, does he really think we don't notice him continuing to take pictures just because we put our heads down," Aimee shook her head. "He must want a picture of Captain America enjoying his first calzone. Seems like a top headline for those gossip magazines."

"He's not taking pictures of me. Or Rhodes," Steve commented. "His camera lens is angled

towards you," he looked up at Aimee.

"Me?" Aimee almost laughed. "I just got here nobody even knows who I am. Why would he be taking photos of me?"

Steve shook his head. "I don't know. Let's find out." He stood up abruptly from his chair and began to walk out the door.

"Wait," Aimee said, taking a hurried bite of her calzone. "I didn't finish- Rhodes, have them wrap this up!" she said before following Steve out the door.

"That's a huge insult to one of America's favorite foods, Captain! I thought you were supposed to be pro-American-"  
"Walk down that alley," Steve commanded, as they walked down the New York street together.

"Alley? Do you want me to get mugged? I don't have any defensive powers, remember?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "I'm going to be right behind you. I just want to see if the guys follows you or me. To confirm who he's taking pictures of."

"Oh, okay," Aimee nodded in understanding and then reached out her hand for Steve to shake. He eyed it suspiciously. "We need to make this look real right? If we just walk away without saying goodbye he might know we're setting him up."

"Good thinking." Steve took her hand. "Just stay alert. We don't know who he is."

"That's comforting." Aimee turned and began to walk down the alley. Even with all of the noise of the city, she could still here the soft footsteps of someone following her. She felt a chill go down her spine and turned the corner of the alley, and then stopped.

As predicted, the man turned the corner right after her and ran straight into the small girl.

"Oh," the man said, startled, panic showing in his eyes. "I was just…" he trailed off, looking around before turning and attempting to run away… but instead ran right into Steve's solid form.

"Okay, okay!" the man said, backing away, feeling cornered. "I give up!"

"Who are you and why are you following me?" Aimee puffed out her chest and hoped she looked intimidating. The man was shorter than she, and looked absolutely pitiful under her gaze. Steve standing behind him almost looked comical. He ran a hand over his forehead to wipe away nervous sweat and licked his lips.

"I'm not following you… I mean, I am following you but not for me, but for someone else!"

"Yeah, because that sounds less creepy," Aimee rolled her eyes and Steve crossed his arms around his chest.

"Look, this lady paid me to get some pictures and tell her what you were doing," he looked almost ready to cry.

"Why?" Steve demanded, narrowing his eyebrows.

"I don't know," he explained and when Aimee opened her mouth to argue he continued: "I offer a service, no questions asked. Clients just tell me the name of who they want information on and I give it to them, that's it."

"That's it?" Aimee shook her head in digust. "That _has_ to be illegal, right?" Steve shrugged.

"Who is the woman?" he asked.

"Well, for client confidentiality agreements-" he started but stopped at the look at the two heroes faces. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you as long as you promise to not report me."

"Deal," Steve said. "Let's go."

"Go?" the small man squeaked.

"Yes. Go. You're going to bring us to this woman's house."

The man looked terrified but sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine."

Just as he began to walk, Rhodes ran around the corner of the alley, his hands full with to go bags. "Where the Hell did you guys go?!"

Aimee and Captain rolled their eyes.

…

"Here it is."

Aimee looked at the absolute mansion that stood before them. There was a brick wall that wrapped around the property and they stood at the gate on the driveway leading to the house. Or castle? Aimee wasn't sure at this point. It looked like royalty's home. And what would royalty want with Aimee?

"Do you have the gate code?" Steve seemed utterly unimpressed with the castle and instead focused his gaze at the keypad on the gate.

"No. There's a voice box and camera. I announce myself and that's how I get in."

"Alright, so announce yourself," Rhodes said, motioning towards the camera.

Steve, Aimee, and Rhodes stepped aside and out of view of the camera which the man pressed the intercom buttom on the gate panel.

"Hey, uh, it's Marty Anderson. I got those pics that you wanted," he said nervously into the machine.

There was a momentary pause and Aimee almost began to wonder if no one was home. But then a voice came up on the machine. "Come in." It was a woman's voice and a few seconds later, the gate opened slowly and magnificently.

They got back into Marty's car which now smelled like leftover calzones, and pulled up to the top of the driveway. Inside the gates was even more beautiful. Breath taking landscape, a beautiful fountain with an angel on top, water trinkling out of the angel's trombone.

They walked up the ornate wooden door and Marty knocked tentatively as the two avengers and one trainee stood behind them, their arms all crossed across their chest with suspicious looks on their faces.

A moment after Marty had knocked, the door opened and an older woman came into view. She had golden blonde hair that was cut short to her shoulders in an elegant bob. She wore a golden colored sweater atop a pair of expensive looking white pants and was decorated with gold jewelry. She widened her eyes in surprise at the people before her, but then rolled her eyes.

"Gary, I told you we should've hired a professional!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, they caught me. I think one of them has super sight and hearing because I was super quiet-"

"I'm sure," the woman interupted. "Leave, now."

"About payment-"

The woman raised her eyebrows and laughed. "I said leave. Unless you want me to call security."

"She has her own security?" Aimee muttered to Steve. "Is this Bill Gates house?"

"Who?" Steve whispered back.

Aimee waved him off and stepped forward. "Who are you?"

The woman narrowed her eyes. "None of your concern."

"None of my- what? You just admitted that you hired this guy to follow me!"

"No I didn't." She pursed her lips and her expression was unreadable. Aimee shook her head in disbelief.

"Yes, you did!" She was about to argue further when a greying man walked up next to her and his face turned surprised as well.

"Oh my," he rubbed his chin in disappointment. "Well, this is a situation."

"What is going on? Who are you people?" Aimee demanded, her heart racing.

"If you do not answer her question we'll be forced to contact the appropriate authoritites-" Steve started but the man waved his hands and shook his head.

"That won't be necessary," he replied.

"Then, answer the girl's question," Rhodes straightened his back and cracked his neck to be more intimidating.

"We're her parents."

A/N: Sorry this update took so long! I was on vacation and then had so much school work. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I promise Steve and Aimee will have more cute-sy time together but right now I'm just trying to establish her in the group. Thank you all so much for the follows, favorites, and reviews!


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